Hershey Bears lose 7-2 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 2

WILKES-BARRE -- Three years ago the Hershey Bears exited the visitor’s locker room at Mohegan Sun Arena one loss from playoff elimination.

Hershey BearsGarrett Mitchell

They kept alive their 2008-09 Calder Cup aspirations by beating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Games 6 and 7 of the East Division finals at Giant Center.

In the wake of a 7-2 rout in Game 2 to WBS Saturday night, the Bears face a more difficult plight in 2011-12.

WBS leads the best-of-five series 2-0 and has outscored the Bears a collective 10-3. Hershey must win the next two games at home and also win Game 5 on the road to avoid the end of its season.

“We’ve got to give them credit,” said Bears winger Chris Bourque, a member of the 2008-09 Calder Cup club. “They’ve played a real good two games. We just have to be better all around and stay positive as a group.

“It’s not the end of the world. We’re still alive here. We have to win on Wednesday [in Game 3] and have a much better effort.”

In the wake of a rough start in Game 2, when Colin McDonald gave WBS a 1-0 lead 1:19 into the contest, the Bears had begun showing positive signs until Zach Sill and Cody Wild scored 82 seconds apart midway through the first period to make it 3-0.

The Baby Pens then increased the lead to 4-0, insurmountable in practical terms, on Geoff Walker’s power-play goal at 17:00.

“There’s going to be goals scored in hockey,” Bears winger Garrett Mitchell said. “We can’t let that affect us. We have three games we’ve got to win, and that’s what we’ve got to do. Those goals don’t matter anymore.

“It comes down to winning three games. There’s teams that have won three games a lot.”

Mitchell and Patrick McNeill scored in the second for Hershey.

McDonald added his second goal of the game and fourth of the series on the power play in the third. Matt Rust and Ben Street (penalty shot) also scored for WBS.

“Everyone’s playing the best they have all year,” McDonald said.

In contrast, Hershey’s winless streak stretched to 10. It is its longest winless streak since a club-record 12-game streak (0-10-0-2) in 2001-02.

WBS has taken away Hershey’s strengths. The top two lines haven’t produced a point in the first two games and the power play has gone 0-for-7.

“I think we’re trying to be a little too cute at times,” McNeill said. “We’ve got to collectively work together on the faceoffs to gain possession of the puck. We’ve just got to make the simple plays, back to the basics of hockey, the basics of running the power play.

“Obviously, we clicked at a high percentage throughout the year, but come playoffs teams work a lot harder. You’ve got to simplify it and dumb it down a bit and get back to the basics.”

Hershey has struggled to sustain offensive zone time on the power play.

“They play a real good defensive game and they collapse well in front,” Bourque said. “So whenever we get in their zone and throw it out to the point, there’s not many shot lanes and it’s tough to take it to the net and find seams.

“We obviously need to do a better job of creating stuff down low and getting more shots on net. I don’t think we’ve really tested out this goalie too much.”

Hershey has mustered just 36 shots on goalie Brad Thiessen (14 saves in Game 2) in two games. In 120 minutes of series action, WBS has led for all but 15:59.

Hershey hasn’t been swept in a series since 2001-02 (Houston). It hasn’t been swept in a best-of-five since 1965-66 (Springfield).

“I think our play needs to be more urgent,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “And, certainly, the situation is urgent. So, hopefully, the play of the team will follow the situation.”

Seven is the most goals the Bears have allowed in a playoff game since WBS beat them 7-3 on April 25, 2008, in Game 5 to clinch a first-round playoff series.

Dating back to last season, Hershey has lost five straight playoff games. In 2010-11, the Charlotte Checkers won the final three games of a first-round series to eliminate the Bears in six games.

“We obviously didn’t get the success we were looking for here,” McNeill said. “Everybody knows it’s tough to play in this building, and when they get rolling it’s tough to swing momentum your way. The Giant Center’s not an easy place to play for opposing teams.

“Best three-out-of-five, you win one game and you’re right back in it. So we’ve just got to forget about what’s transpired here and we’ve got to get back to work and start doing what’s made us successful throughout the year and chip away a game at a time.”

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